


Like Clockwork

by burrsir



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Birthday Fluff, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Birthday Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Matt is a Good Boyfriend, Shiro Birthday Exchange 2018, So do the rest of the Paladins, Sort Of, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, the Holts make an appearance as well, there's a tiny drop of angst for like 2 seconds near the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 12:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13834083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burrsir/pseuds/burrsir
Summary: Takashi Shirogane's birthday comes once every four years, like clockwork, and Matt Holt is determined to make each one of them specialOr; Five times Shiro spent his birthday with his family on Earth, and one time he spent it in space with... a different family (and Matt, who he guesses has been family all along)





	Like Clockwork

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there boroloquis! I heard you liked Shatt so I hope you enjoy this fic!! It was a lot of fun to write :)
> 
> I apologize for any formatting errors,, html isn't my forte

**_Fourth_ **

If you were to ask Takashi Shirogane, he’d say that he doesn’t remember much from his early childhood. He could maybe tell you his favorite stuffed animal, or that one time his family took him to Disneyland - though he thinks those memories are mostly fabricated from the pictures they took. There is one day, however, that he can vividly recall.

Takashi Shirogane was born on Leap Day, February 29th. This didn’t stop his family from celebrating every year on the 28th, but it did mean that every Leap Year, when his actual birthday made an appearance, they would go all out.

That day, being Takashi’s fourth but officially his first _real_ birthday, was something that would always stand out in his mind. He remembers how his family stayed up late the night before to decorate the whole house; streamers draped across doorways and hallways, balloons tied to every chair and the huge mylar birthday cake shaped one at Takashi’s usual spot at the dinner table. He’d been woken up that morning by his mother, and as he blinked away the morning blurriness she handed him a small cup of chocolate milk, assuring his day started right. His dad was sitting on her other side, a warm smile on his face and a “Happy Birthday, buddy!” on his lips.

It took a moment for the words to sink in to Takashi’s sleep muddled brain, but when they did he immediately sat straight up, chocolate milk sloshing in his cup and only barely avoiding spilling. “It’s my birthday!”

“You bet it is!” his mom said. “Are you ready to see your party?”

Takashi shook his head, and insisted that he wanted to get dressed so he would look nice for his party.

A few minutes later, he emerges from his room with a purple shirt on and a pair of black pants, as well as his favorite pair of socks with kitten faces on them. When he spotted the streamers hanging in the hallway, he let out a small gasp. _These were for him!_

As he rounded the corner into the living room, his vision was overwhelmed by all the bright colors around him. In addition to decorations, there was a pile of presents decked out in shiny bows and multicolored wrapping paper on the coffee table. The smell of fresh pancakes on the stove lured him toward the kitchen, where he found his biggest surprise yet.

“Happy birthday, Takashi!”

Crowded around the kitchen table were his parents, his aunt and uncle and his cousin, who he only ever got to see around the holidays. _But they were here! In February! For his birthday!_

On the table in front of the remaining empty chair sat a plate stacked with pancakes, with a smiley face made from whipped cream and strawberries adorning it. His favorite.

Takashi didn’t think there was a better way to start his day.

The remainder of the day was dedicated to playing games with his family and watching his favorite Disney movies (he and his cousin both had a soft spot for _Sleeping Beauty_ ), and Takashi couldn’t remember ever being this happy, surrounded by the people he loved most.

They’d ordered pizza for lunch, but for dinner his parents prepared a special meal for him. He’d loved every bite, but he hadn’t had _quite_ as much as he’d wanted because a tiny voice at the back of his mind kept telling him to _save room for cake._ He was not disappointed.

After dinner, his mom had carried out a huge sheet cake, frosted white with purple edges. Written in frosting script along the top read _‘Happy 4th Birthday Takashi!’_

He remembers that moment clearest of all. He remembers his Dad turning the lights low, and his Mom lighting the candles. He remembers how his cheeks _hurt_ from smiling so hard. He remembers they way his family’s faces seemed to glow a warm and magical way in the candlelight, even if there were only a few candles - _“four for your age, and one for good luck in the coming year!”_ his aunt had told him. He remembers his mom holding up a camera to take a picture, and the happy giggling as they all sang “Happy Birthday” to him. He remembers hearing another shutter click of the camera as he scrunched his eyes closed and _wished,_ blowing out the candles with the biggest breath a four-year-old could muster.

He had never told anyone his wish, no matter how much his cousin asked, because he knew it wouldn't come true then. But, he figured, the stars weren't people anyway, so it didn't matter if he whispered it to them through his bedroom window as he fell asleep.

“I wished,” he told them, “that I can spend every one of my birthday's with my family. Just like that.”

**_Eighth_ **

When Takashi was in the third grade, he made a name for himself by not standing for any sort of bullying he saw on the playground. Anything from name calling, to cutting or pushing in line, to straight up fights would call him to action. Cruelty was not something he took lightly.

He learned rather quickly that most kids didn't care what the scrawny little seven-year-old said to them, which meant that if he wanted to make any sort of change, he had to get adults involved.

Takashi saw himself as a helper.

Other kids saw him as a snitch.

He didn't have the easiest time making friends.

He spent most of his recesses alone, his nose buried in a book and a juice box in his hand. It was a new semester, only a week or so back off of winter break, and he'd been doing his best to not get involved in anymore tiffs on the playground unless he absolutely _had_ to.

Unfortunately, today seemed to be one of those times.

 _“Hey!_ Give those back!”

Takashi’s attention was torn from his book by distressed cries from the playground. A quick scan found it's source: a kid Takashi didn't recognize, furiously swiping at two kids he knew to be fourth graders, who were tossing something back and forth between themselves. Takashi stood, book and juice box forgotten, shoulders squared as he stomped towards them. _Hero mode,_ his mom called it.

“Give them back! I'm serious!” the new kid squeaked, far from intimidating.

“Oh look at me!” one of the fourth graders taunted, putting the stolen item - a pair of glasses, Takashi realized - on his face, “I'm Harry Potter!”

“You're too mean to be Harry Potter!” Takashi shouted, standing behind the second grader and crossing his arms.

Takashi didn't see it at the time, but the boy was staring up at him with wide eyes.

“Aw great, the _tattletale_ showed up.” The second fourth grader muttered.

“Takes the fun out of everything,” mumbled the first.

The comment stung. Takashi knew what he was doing, though.

“Give him back his glasses,” he said. His tone left no room for argument.

“Ugh, fine. Whatever,” the fourth grader said, taking the glasses off and throwing them vaguely in the direction of the kid, who fumbled but managed to keep them from hitting the floor. “They're dumb anyways.”

The two boys left in a huff. When they were far enough away, he turned toward the boy. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Not the first time some jerks have tried to mess with me.” He straightened his back out and squared his shoulders, though it did nothing to hide the water still in the corners of his eyes.

“Well, I’m here now, and I won't let them do that again.” The boy smile at that, and Takashi couldn't help the grin forming on his own face. “What's your name?”

“Matt,” the boy said, holding out his hand. “Matt Holt.”

“Hi Matt, I'm Takashi Shirogane.” He took Matt’s hand.

“That's a cool name.”

“Thanks, I like yours too!”

“Hey,” Matt reached into his back pocket, “do you like pokémon?” He pulled out a stack of cards, a Charizard on the top of the deck.

If it was even possible, Takashi's grin grew even wider. “Yes! I love pokémon!”

“Cool!” Matt said, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the tables. “C’mon I wanna show you all my cards!”

…

Takashi and Matt became nearly inseparable after that, despite the fact that Matt was only in second grade. Their recesses lined up, so they made it work.

It was two weeks into February, the day before Valentine’s, in fact, when Takashi made his decision.

His parents had been excited, which had reassured him.

He found Matt at recess at their usual table. Matt had his deck of cards, but he seemed more like he was just admiring them than getting ready for a round.

“Matt,” Takashi said, trying really hard to ignore the anxious wobble in his voice.

“Hey! So I was thinkin’, instead of playing today we could--”

He was cut short when Takashi plopped a small envelope in front of him.

“That's, uh…” Takashi trailed off as Matt opened it and pulled a brightly colored card out. “For my birthday party.”

“I didn't know your birthday was coming up!”

Takashi scratched the back of his head. His hair was starting to get too long. “Well, it's on a Leap Year so it only really happens every four years anyway, so…”

“I'll ask my parents tonight,” Matt said, stuffing the invitation back into the envelope. “My parents might want to come though because they really like you and said they want to meet your parents too.”

Takashi couldn't help the faint blush that rose in his cheeks. _Matt’s parents liked him._

“That's okay!” he said. “It's usually a family thing anyway so I'm sure bringing more family along would be good.”

“Awesome! I can't wait!”

…

The Holts arrived just after noon on February 29th, Matt carrying a large box with a huge purple bow on top and a grin so wide his cheeks hurt.

They filed in and introductions were made, Takashi’s parents congratulating them on the baby they were expecting in a couple months. Meanwhile, Takashi had dragged Matt out to the backyard where his family had rented a bounce house.

“Takashi, check me out! I'm an astronaut!” Matt shouted over the roar of the motor. He moved his arms and legs out slow and dramatic, hopping across the bounce house like he was moonwalking.

Takashi laughed, moving his arms out wide too and screwing his expression into something he deemed cool enough for an astronaut before mimicking Matt’s antics.

When they both reached the center of the bounce house, they made the mistake of both stomping down at the same time, throwing them off balance and careening into each other. Matt’s shoulder slammed into Takashi’s chest, knocking them backwards and onto the floor beside one another.

“Maybe we need more practice before we can become astronauts,” Takashi said.

A beat of silence, then Matt was laughing, his thrown back against the floor of the bounce house and his arms clutched around his middle.

Birthdays in the Shirogane household were almost always exclusively a family affair. It was a personal celebration, one that didn't need to be broadcasted to everyone they knew. Nevertheless, as he watched Matt Holt laugh his heart out beside him, Takashi was glad he and his family had made an acception and invited the Holts.

Or maybe, he thought, one day Matt would be like family to him too.

**_Twelfth_ **

The day Takashi turned twelve years old, he realized three things.

One: vanilla cake with strawberry filling was absolutely his favorite, and he'd have to ask his parents to get it again next year.

Two: he was already _twelve years old_ and time was flying by. His parents kept telling him he didn't have to decide right away, that that decision was _years_ off, but it didn't feel like that to him.

_Astronaut or teacher? Astronaut? Teacher? Astronaut?_

College was more than six years away, but between Matt skipping a grade--and being able to share classes with him!--and the new pressure he felt as he was enrolled in “honors” level courses, Takashi felt like it was tomorrow.

And the third thing he noticed, was that Matt had really pretty eyes.

They were at the park up the street from the Shirogane house, his family and the Holts (who, really, were family at this point) were gathered around the now cool barbecue chatting while his cousin pushed Katie, Matt’s baby sister, on the swings. He and Matt were a bit away from everyone else, sitting on top of a picnic table and watching the sun begin to set over the hills in the distance.

Takashi was doing his best not to make things weird, but he couldn’t help the way the fading sun made the gold of Matt’s hair warm, or the way his gaze softened looking out at the horizon, or the way those things made his heart jump a little in his chest so that he couldn’t take his eyes away.

Taking a breath and flexing his fingers to steel himself, Takashi nudged his friend’s shoulder with his own. “Hey, Matt?”

“Yeah?” Matt tore his gaze from the sky and met Takashi’s own. He tried not to think about how the cinnamon brown of Matt’s eyes reminded him of the snickerdoodles Mrs. Holt would bake for them during sleepovers--sleepovers where’d they’d end up falling asleep against each other’s shoulders on the couch while the Netflix home screen illuminated their faces.

“Have you ever… had a crush on anyone?”

“Hmm,” Matt hummed, pursing his lips in thought. “There was Kim Brooks back in fifth grade. Remember how I gave her my oreos every day for like two weeks?”

Takashi exhaled sharply through his nose in a laugh. “Oh, I remember. And then she kept partnering with Jason for P.E. so you switched to peanut butter cookies because you knew she didn’t like them.”

“But you liked them, so I could share with you instead.”

“They were good cookies.”

“I’ll ask my mom if we can make some more soon.” A pause. “But yeah that’s the only crush I can really remember. What about you? Are there any girls you like?”

“Uh,” Takashi felt a blush creep up the back of his neck. “I can’t really, um, think of anyone. Like there’s a couple cute girls in our classes but I don’t think I have a crush on any of them.”

Matt nodded. “That’s fair. I think you need to kind of know someone a bit before you can really crush on them, ya know?”

Takashi hummed in agreement. He took another deep breath. _Now or never._ “Matt--”

“Hm?” Matt’s eyes were wide, curious and open. The sun’s final rays were a deep orange now, and Takashi could pick out all the different speckled shades of brown in his eyes.

“Do you think it’s possible to have a crush on a boy?”

Matt blinked. His face turned pensive for a moment, eyes darting to the side and eyebrows furrowed together. Then he shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”

Takashi felt something loosen in his chest that he hadn’t even realized was tight. “You don’t think it’d be weird?”

“No? It’s not really different from liking a girl, if you think about it.”

“I guess so.”

“So,” Matt’s voice was gentle, his shoulder brushing Takashi’s again. “Is there a boy you like?”

 _Maybe._ “No,” Takashi’s gaze shifted from Matt’s, out in front of him towards nothing in particular. “But I think I might like one one day.”

“That’s cool,” Matt said, his eyes following Takashi’s. “Let me know when you do so I can tease you about him like you used to tease me about Kim.”

Takashi chuckled. “I will.”

“C’mon.” Matt hopped off the picnic table and tugged on Takashi’s sleeve. “Let’s go get some cake before the parents pack it all up.”

One day might come sooner than he expected.

**_Sixteenth_ **

When he got out of class, Takashi found Matt standing beside his locker. This was usual for them, as Matt’s class was closer to the lockers than his, but what puzzled him was Matt’s behavior.

Rather than the normal casual lean against the wall and internet surfing on his phone, Matt was standing ramrod straight, bouncing up and down on his toes, eyes poking through the crowd looking for Takashi. His arms were behind his back, and he seemed to fumble with something before pulling one out to adjust his glasses. When Takashi was close enough to make eye contact, Matt’s face broke into a wide grin as he bounced on his toes a couple more times.

“Happy birthday, babe!” Matt announced, pulling a bouquet of purple flowers from behind his back and thrusting them into Takashi’s chest. “And happy one month anniversary!”

“Matt,” his voice was fond as he took the flowers and held them to his face, slowly taking in their sweet scent, “you didn’t have to--”

“Oh, yes I did. It’s not every day your boyfriend-slash-best friend turns four years old!”

“Not this again--”

“Seriously though! This is a big one! I mean, sixteen is already supposed to be a big party, but it’s also your fourth _birthday_ -birthday and sixteen is four squared so really there’s just a whole bunch of things lining up on this one so I have to make it the absolute best.” He paused, taking a deep inhale, not realizing he’d rushed that all out in a single breath. Takashi chuckled at him and hugged the flowers closer to himself. “ _And_ it’s our first one as an official couple so I have to make sure my boyfriend game is strong.”

“You’re a dork, did you know that?” Takashi said, opening his locker and switching out the books he needed.

“Well you’re the one dating this dork,” Matt teased.

Takashi leaned down--he had a solid inch and a half on Matt--and pecked him on the cheek. “ _My_ dork.”

Matt couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him, or the blush that spread across his cheeks. “Aren’t you gonna put the flowers in your locker?”

“What? No!” Takashi clutched them closer to his chest. “I’m gonna carry them around so I can show them off.”

“And he calls _me_ the dork.”

…

That evening, the Shiroganes and the Holts sat down to a simple dinner around the Shirogane dinner table. His parents had offered to let him have a bigger party for his sixteenth, or even to go to a fancy dinner out, but he insisted on spending it like he always had, just them.

His aunt, uncle, and cousin hadn’t been able to make it that year, since his uncle’s job had transferred them to San Francisco over the summer, but they still sent him a gift and made a point of Skyping in to wish him a happy birthday.

Even though there were three empty seats that year, the evening didn’t feel empty in the slightest. The Holts were a happy, loud bunch, with Matt and his father throwing playful insults back and forth with each other and getting the whole table in a raucous. His own parents had always been a bit more reserved, but even they would get in on the teasing.

After one particularly harsh burn inflicted on Mr. Holt by Matt, Mrs. Shirogane waved her hand at him to get his attention, a joking smile on her face. “Takashi! Control your boyfriend!”

“I gave up on trying to control this one ages ago, Mama. He’s a lost cause.” There was a sarcastic lilt to his words as he jutted his thumb towards Matt. 

Matt, in turn, slapped his hand to his chest in mock offense. “Betrayal! No cake for you, then.”

“There’s cake?” Takashi perked up.

“Yes, that I helped to lovingly craft with my own two hands. Cake that _you_ may have just lost access to, buddy.” Matt poked him in the chest.

“Matt!” Katie piped up from across the table. “Give him the cake! It’s his birthday!”

“Yeah, Matt, it’s my birthday,” Takashi copied her, head tilting to the side and eyebrows coming together for maximum puppy-dog eyes.

Matt scooted his chair back and stood up, pointing a finger at Takashi. “You’re lucky you’re my best friend.”

“Here, let me help you,” Mr. Shirogane said, also rising from his seat and following Matt into the kitchen.

“At least they’re past that awful pining stage,” Mrs. Holt whispered to Mrs. Shirogane, and Takashi wasn’t entirely sure if he was supposed to hear it or not, but he felt a blush rise to his cheeks anyway.

“Drumroll, please!” Matt called from the kitchen. Katie started tapping on the table, and Matt and Mr. Shirogane began in their loudest, most obnoxious voices, a round of “Happy Birthday.”

As the song came to a close, they set down the frosted white cake with purple edges and strawberry filling in front of him, candles casting his face in a warm glow. He looked up from the cake, then out across the table at the people gathered with him, their grins wide and bright.

Matt nudged his shoulder, “Make a wish already!”

He looked back out at everyone, and blew out the candles.

**_Twentieth_ **

“I don’t know, I was thinking we could just do something here? Like we did last year?”

“But Takashi, it’s your twentieth! Another leap year! We can’t just order take out and marathon _Power Rangers_ again.”

“I seem to remember there being quite a bit of making out involved too..”

“That’s beside the point,” Matt retorted. “This only happens once every four years so we need to make the most of it! Let me at least take you out to a fancy dinner or something.”

“You and I both know that neither of us has the time or money to do that.” Takashi said from his spot on their shared bed in their dorm at the Galaxy Garrison. It was technically the lower of two bunks, but they just used the top for storage.

“I’ve been saving up.” Matt was sat backward on the desk chair, and rolled his way closer to Takashi. “And neither of us has any homework due.”

“But I was kind of looking forward to--”

“We can still make out and watch _Power Rangers_ afterwards if you want to.”

Takashi took a moment, mulling Matt’s proposition over. “Ok, I guess.”

…

The Galaxy Garrison was stationed in the middle of a remote Arizona desert, so high end restaurants close enough to get back by curfew were in short supply. Matt had managed to locate a relatively nice Italian place, however, and luckily it was in their budget.

Matt slid out of their cab first, then turned and offered his hand to Takashi. “What a gentleman,” he said, taking Matt’s hand, who winked at him.

The pair of them had managed to clean up well. They didn’t have much to wear outside of their Garrison uniforms, but Takashi had managed to pull a pair of black slacks and a deep plum button up from the depths of his closet, the latter of which had a slight strain over his now bulkier frame. Between growth spurts and a strict training regimen, Takashi had finally started to fill out.

Matt was dressed similarly, though he wore a dark sweater vest over his green long-sleeved shirt. He’d also managed to pull a comb through his unruly hair, though Takashi had made him promise not to gel it back and let it “stay fluffy,” as he put it. Matt held out his elbow for Takashi, who took it despite their ever increasing height difference. He did offer Matt a fond eyeroll for it, however.

“Reservation for Holt,” Matt told the hostess.

“You made a reservation, even though you weren’t sure I’d even want to go?” Takashi raised an eyebrow at him.

Matt shrugged. “I know I can be persuasive.”

“Dork.”

Matt threw him another wink.

“Okay, Mr. Holt, right this way,” the hostess gestured toward the waitress beside her, “Amanda will show you to the rest of your party.”

“The rest of our party?” Takashi barely had a chance to air his confusion before his saw them.

His mom was out of her seat as soon as they were in sight, rushing towards them and pulling Takashi down into a crushing embrace.

“We missed you _so much,_ sweetheart. Happy birthday.”

“I- I can’t believe you guys are here,” Takashi said, dropping Matt’s arm to wrap his own around his mom.

“Like we would miss our only son’s twentieth birthday,” his dad said, coming up beside them.

Takashi pulled away from his mom to embrace his dad as well. A few moments passed, then he released him as well, looking between the two of them. “How did you guys--? How’re you--”

“Matthew arranged the whole thing,” his mom told them, gesturing to the boy in question. “He got our plane tickets, set up the reservation, and kept the whole thing a surprise.”

Matt shrugged. “I know spending your leap birthdays with your family is important to you. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss one.”

Before he realized it was coming, Takashi had thrown himself against Matt, only just barely avoiding knocking them over. “Thank you,” he whispered into his ear, “thank you so much.”

“I’m just happy you’re happy.” Matt twisted slightly in his grip, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I love you.”

Takashi pulled back just enough to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. “I love you too.”

…

If you were to ask him, Takashi wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about what he ate that evening (other than it was good), or even what the restaurant was called. What he did remember, and what he was sure he’d never soon forget, was the way his parents’ laughter seemed to lift the tensions of college off his shoulders, and the bright smile on Katie’s face when the Holts Skyped in to send their birthday wishes, and the long string of emojis his cousin sent to him right before he’d pulled up a FaceTime with her and his aunt and uncle. 

He also remembered the way Matt’s hand never left his the entire evening, up until they--quite literally--crashed onto their bed that night. Then, his hand left Matt’s to tangle into his hair and crash their lips together.

Some time later, Matt pulled back with one final peck on Takashi’s nose and reached across to the laptop on the nightstand to start an episode of _Power Rangers._

“As promised.”

Takashi shook his head, but rearranged them into better cuddle positions nonetheless. He only made it through two episodes before he drifted off, his arm snug around Matt’s waist.

**_Twenty-Fourth_ **

It was a quiet night on the Castle’s observation deck. Shiro--he’d been going by that for a while now; nicknames were common among pilots at the Garrison--sat on the floor with his back against one of the cool metal walls, a knee pulled up to his chest.

As much as he loved the rest of his team, there were times when he just needed some quiet, a break from the constant stimulation the bunch of them caused. Sometimes Keith would join him, and the two of them would sit in companionable silence while watching the stars drift by. Mostly, though, Shiro was by himself.

The observation deck was a nearly empty room, with only a small control panel at its center. As such, the sound of careful footsteps echoed around him, pulling his gaze from the cosmos and toward the thin sliver of light emitted through the opening door.

“Am… am I interrupting?” came a small voice. Matt. Even with the amnesia he’d picked up from the his time with the Galra, Shiro didn’t think he’d ever forget that voice. Matt stood just inside the doorway, his eyes wide, curious and open, bringing back memories from more than a decade ago that Shiro had thought he’d lost forever.

A warmth rushed over him at the thought, the corner of his mouth quirking up gently. “You’re never interrupting.”

Matt padded over to him, steps slow so as not to cause too much disturbance in the hollow of the room. He’d taken off the rough outer cloak of the rebels, as well as his armor, leaving him in just a pair of baggy pants and a longsleeved shirt made from a fabric that was almost too rough to be comfortable. “This seat taken?” he smirked, eyebrow raised.

Shiro let out a huff of air through his nose and gestured to the empty wall beside him. Matt plopped down beside him, legs crossed. His shoulder barely brushed Shiro’s.

“This is a nice spot.”

Shiro nodded. “Sometimes I come up here when I need some quiet.”

Matt eyed his prosthetic for a moment, the metal illuminated by a pale glow from the stars outside. The scar on his own shin throbbed. “I understand.” Shiro was facing the window, but his eyes glanced back at Matt. “Sometimes things are just… too much.”

“Mhm.” There was a pause, then Shiro leaned more into Matt’s shoulder. “I wish things didn’t have to be the way they are, but… I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Matt leaned back into him, resting his head on Shiro’s shoulder, his fingers brushing against his knee.

They stayed like that, neither of them knew for how long. After spending so long in the ever expanding abyss of space, time didn’t feel quite like a linear thing anymore.

“Oh!” Matt suddenly perked up, nearly bumping his head into Shiro’s. He didn’t shout, but it still rang around the stark room. “Before I forget.” He reached into the pocket of his puffy pants, and pulled out something wrapped in a plain white cloth. He offered it gingerly to Shiro. “Happy birthday.”

Shiro took the object, holding it delicately in his hand, and slowly began to peel back the cloth. Inside, pressed and dried but still impossibly vibrant, was a single purple flower.

“Matt…”

“I saw it on a planet we stopped at to resupply a couple months ago. I wanted to get some more but I knew they wouldn’t keep, and this was the only pressed one that made it.”

“It’s…”

“It reminded me of the ones I got you for your sixteenth, remember?” He shrugged. “Thought it’d be nice to give you for your twenty-fourth. To remember the good ‘ole days before we had to save the universe and stuff.”

Shiro furrowed his eyebrows, turning to Matt. “It’s my birthday.” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Matt chuckled. “Yeah, dork. That’s why I wished you a happy birthday.” He bumped his shoulder against Shiro’s.

“How did you know?”

He tapped his finger to his temple. “Every four years, like clockwork. It’s ingrained into my brain at this point.”

“ _I_ didn’t even remember.”

“You’ve been busy.”

Shiro kissed him.

Matt kissed back on instinct, falling back into the familiarity of Shiro’s lips on his like they’d never been separated. They may be slightly more chapped, and the scar on Matt’s cheek may be rough under Shiro’s calloused fingertips, but it was still completely and irrevocably _them,_ and they’d managed to find each other again even after the universe had tried to tear them apart.

Eventually they had to pull back to breathe, but their foreheads remained pressed close together.

“I love you, Matt.”

“I love you too, Takashi.” He gave him a peck on the nose. “If you’re up for it, Hunk, Keith, and Pidge made you a cake. And I know the others have been eager to wish you a happy birthday too.”

Shiro’s hand found his in the near darkness of the observation deck and threaded their fingers together. “That sounds nice.”

When the door to the Castle’s kitchen slid open, he was forced to drop Matt’s hand as he was nearly tackled to the ground with hugs and Lance’s boisterous laughter ringing out. Hunk then proudly presented the cake he and the others had worked on. It wasn’t exactly like the one he would get on Earth, but they’d tried to approximate it as best they could for _him,_ and if he teared up a little bit, well, it was his birthday. He could cry if he wanted to. 

As Shiro looked around at the people gathered around him, happy and smiling, he felt a warmth bloom in his chest. He squeezed Matt’s hand under the table. He may be lightyears away from his parents and the familiarity of his birthdays on Earth, but he was still with his family. He was at _home,_ even out in the far reaches of space.

As he blew out the candles, he wished that he could spend every birthday with his family. Just like this.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Shiro!!
> 
> Find me on tumblr [here](http://shiroganetakashi.tumblr.com)


End file.
